The present invention relates generally to image processing and, more particularly, to dynamic modification of image resolution.
The file size of an image is proportional to the pixel dimensions of the image measure by kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), etc. Images with more pixels can be used to produce more detail at a given displayed or printed size, but they require more memory (RAM) to load or to store (on hard disks, solid state drives, etc.), and may be slower to display, edit and print. Image resolution represents the detail to define the clarity of an image. For example, to load a high resolution image, more pixels need to be loaded; thus the image will take a longer time to load and will consume more bandwidth and data. Image resolution thus becomes a trade-off between image quality and file size in some environments.
Regarding image file size, several factors beyond pixel density affect viewing of the file. For example, the level of compression of an image file also has a big influence; the more a JPEG image is compressed the more “lossy” the image (the more detail is lost). The level of compression affects image sharpness, but also color palette, etc.
In various scenarios, mobile devices with wireless connectivity (i.e., smart phone, tablet, laptop, etc.), may not have enough data availability to view an image with higher quality (e.g., higher pixel density) or may need quicker loading of an image with better quality.